Blog

Happy Friday! Wow, another week! Summer got here this week. The temperatures have risen, now about 90 every day. It still cools off to the low 70s every night so morning walks are still comfortable. I go before 7 most mornings and it is delightful. The weather calls for 97 later this week….that will be more like the Texas I am used to. I am actually going to Texas next weekend. An old friend of my died a couple of months ago and there is a memorial service for her that I just can't miss. So that and a dental appointment and I'll be back in my old haunts. WIll be great to see Tom and of course Beau! I sure do miss them! I hate when Beau does this….he must have learned it from Red and Domino!

So on to the kale chips. I am a big fan of crunchy foods. Dry, salty, crunchy foods are something I crave but are not necessarily the best thing for my constitution. That said, I like to eat them from time to time, and this kale chip is a good compromise. I think I have posted kale chips before, but just the basic ones…. Massage with a little oil and salt, and bake. All good. These are even better. Think dorrito! These take kale pieces and coat them in a batter made with softened cashews, miso, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a little cayenne. We made them in school and then dehydrated them to make them into chips. I don't have a dehydrator so I used a low oven. I started them at 300 but realized that was too hot. They browned too fast before they got crisp. Just let them slowly cook at 250 and they will be perfect. If you happen to have a dehydrator (I'm looking at you Barbara!) you can dry them for about 6 -8 hours at 115 degrees.

I used dinosaur kale but I think curly kale would be better. The little curly parts would collect the batter which would be delicious! This is a great way to eat your greens. I bet even kids would eat these. You can change the seasoning and add some herbs, chili powder, smoked paprika, or Old Bay. If you must, you could add Parmesan cheese but I really don't think they need it.

If you have a chance, make these this weekend and take them on a picnic! Perfect. I am going to some Scot-Irish games tomorrow morning called Feis Chlobhair (What?) with my uncle. I have never been to anything like this - whoever thought I would see them here in Clover. Read about it here. It is a festival of sorts this weekend, where men from all over the southeast come to play rugby and and big men in skirts throw heavy things. The website says ...

There are a couple of events and variations that have been added over the centuries, but the core of the sport remains, “throw heavy things as far or as high as you can.”

Fun huh? Oh and bagpipes! And drums! And a border collie herding demonstration! I'll take my good camera and post some photos next week. There is also an art show and sale in York, a nearby town and I hope to hit that up after the games. Big weekend here in little Clover! Hope you have some fun too!

Batter Coated Kale Cips

by Catherine Craig

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake appetizer side snack gluten-free vegan vegetarian kale

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 bunch of kale, curly or dinosaur

1 cup raw cashew pieces

2 Tbsp chickpea miso

3 Tbsp lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

big pinch of cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 cup water

sea salt

Instructions

Soak the cashews in water to cover for at least 30 minutes, 2 to 4 hours if possible.

Preheat oven to 250.

Wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Tear it into 2 inch pieces (bigger than bite size as they will shrink when cooked). Place in a large bowl.

Drain the cashews and add to a high speed blender with all ingredients except the water and salt. Add about 1/4 cup of water and blend on high speed to make a very smooth batter. Add more water as needed to make a thin pourable batter, like a thin pancake batter. Taste and add more lemon juice, cayenne or nutritional yeast as needed. Reblend to ensure it is smooth. (The flavors will concentrate on the chips.)

Pour the batter over the kale pieces. Using your hands, toss the kale with the batter, trying to get every piece well coated.

Coat 4 large baking sheets with cooking spray. Spread kale pieces into a single layer on the sheets, trying not to overlap them.

Bake for about 30 minutes until they brown. You will smell them! You may need to remove some from the trays before others if you have uneven spots of heat in your oven. Be careful not to burn them. When browned and dry looking, remove from the oven. Sprinkle with a little salt. Remove chips from pan to a wire rack to cool. Serve - try not to eat the whole batch yourself! If there are leftovers, they will keep in a plastic bag at room temperature for a few days.

Welcome to Your Best Defense! I'm Catherine - a nurse, health coach, trained plant-based chef -trying every day to achieve health and ward off cancer and illness through delicious food and good living, So glad you stopped by to join me in my quest!